TURNING POINT

The Michigan State offense spent most of the first half floundering, losing two fumbles in the first 12 minutes of the game. But when the Spartans took over on their own 25-yard line with 1:35 left in the opening half, Brian Lewerke finally showed why he became the starting quarterback. He led the Spartans on a 7-play, 85-yard drive, capped off by a 4-yard TD pass to Felton Davis III near the left pylon. On the drive, Lewerke completed 6 of 7 passes for 87 yards to give MSU a 14-3 lead heading to the locker room.

UNSUNG HERO

It was known that Darrell Stewart Jr. would be a factor, but we thought it'd be on special teams, not on offense. But he played an integral role in establishing the Spartans' 11-point halftime lead. He caught five passes for 71 yards during that stretch — including a 40-yard reception to set up the Davis touchdown — and added 34 rushing yards in the first half. Stewart finished with 160 total yards.

QUOTABLE

"When you're a head coach and you have a turnover, that can fry you out on the sidelines a little bit. I thought our guys played extremely hard. You saw a lot of excitement in the locker room after the game, singing the fight song, turning up the music. A lot of the guys were extremely happy."

- Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio

WHAT'S NEXT

The Spartans (1-0) have a dangerous game with last year's Group of 5 darlings, Western Michigan, with a 3:30 p.m. start (BTN) at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. The Broncos opened their season Saturday with a trip out west to play Sam Darnold and No. 4 USC. If the Spartans win next weekend and move to 2-0, that'll go a long way toward securing a bowl berth and a major improvement over last year's 3-9 season.